"In this family," narrator David Vaile says, there's "the fun of doing worthwhile things together." The only thing is, Jay seems to be doing everything. One of his brothers orders him to make cookies. He plays the piano. He dips Easter Eggs in colours and then hunts for them while his two brothers are asleep.
The only thing he does with anybody else is with a friend. They start to build a tree house but are interrupted when the pet dog runs away (Solution? Call the police).
My favourite scene starts at 4:41 when Jay puts his hammer away and takes away a board. The unnamed pet cat just sits there doing nothing. Fine acting job, cat!
Mrs. Dowell next door has rescued a poor little bird. All Jay can do is laugh and laugh.
Frith movies are little slices of life, but they generally teach something to kids. I have no idea what the point is of this film.

I'm disturbed by some of the reviews here suggesting that "Jay" is effeminate or even gay just because he does things like baking cookies and dying Easter Eggs. What is "supposed" to be doing in order to be "normal"? Playing with guns? playing sports? I can't believe there's still some Archie Bunker mentalities out there who start to raise their eyebrows whenever a male does something traditionally done by females. And for the sake of argument, what if he DID turn out to be gay? Would this be a tragedy? Should his parents have taken him to a psychiatrist because he dared enter a kitchen which was thought to be strictly a woman's domain. Come on you neanderthals, evolve a little more.

I couldn't find the purpose behind this film.
Was this used for some form of education?

OUtside of being an advert for middle class American life in the 60s, there is no reason to show this.

Ya, Jay Wants To Be An "Undercover Agent"....Under The Covers Doing A Weinie Wash!

It is as plain as the nose on your face... this film was a documentary about mid 20th Century American white males for alien planets. Thank GOD it is so boring that it scared them off.

This is truly an amusing film that has MST3K written all over it. You do have to wonder what he point is though.

Surprised no one mentioned anything about the cat when Jay is proving he can use a hammer...the cat doesn't get mention again and seems to disappear for the balance of the movie.

Does it really matter that Jay can do all these random things? Why are his parents not the least bit concerned that their son is a little light in the loafers? Who names a male dog Fifi?

Enquiring minds want to know!

Remember when Anytown PD had time to pick up and look after wayward pets? No, neither do I.

Spuzz also has a point below.... Loves music and cooking, the exaggerated movements and gestures, the inability to hammer a nail in straight, the dog named Fifi, the look of genuine love in his eyes when he colors his first pink egg, telling "secrets" with his friend in a treehouse....if this film was made in more recent times, I'd definitely think it was some sort of intentional joke about gay stereotypes.

Best moments are Fifi nosing through garbage at the end of the film, and the narrator's off-the-wall comment about jay wanting to be an undercover agent. Kind of drags, but then again, so do most people's lives.

This rather quirky film documents an extremely eventful day in the life of Jay, an altruistic suburb dweller who is continually rushing through a panoply of diverse activities. Jay is one of the most indomitable boys you'll ever meet; whether he's in the presence of his parents and his affable brother Paul, or simply left to his own devices, Jay is energetic and is not reluctant to reveal his many talents. But while these antics play out, viewers are left wrestling with some difficult questions. After opening the oven, for example, how does Jay manage to repeatedly grasp the hot cookie tray with his right hand without receiving a first degree burn? Unless a considerable amount of time elapsed between the moment at which he removed the cookies from the oven and the instant at which his brother snatched some of them, it may be plausible that Jay is either using a special heat-resistant tray, or that he possesses a mysterious imperviousness to the element of heat (Jay's seemingly nonchalant attitude towards the potential dangers he faces when lighting the fireplace prior to the baking lends credence to the latter theory). Furthermore, how do the police in Jay's community have the time to devote to reuniting lost pets with their owners? Perhaps there weren't as many robberies and high speed car chases back in Jay's time to keep them occupied. No one can know for sure, but do be sure not to overlook the scene in which Jay does his best Strauss II impression as his family watches with admiration.

Jay is being raised in an environment that will make him a confident and well rounded indiviual when he is older. Nice little 1960's film.

The message of this film is obvious. Learning and trying new things makes one a more stable and happier person. It's so rare to see anything on film these days portraying children 'being' children. The goofy smiles and 'happy go lucky' attitude seems out of style today and can startle one's hardened 'spirit' of this current generation. But as long as historical footage like this is kept alive, there's always proof that America was not always so cynical and cold as it is today.

Before watching this I had read some reviews so I was aware of the fact that this film seemingly had no point, but what I didn't relise was how long 12 minutes and 30 seconds can seem. It starts out good and perhapse if it was shorter I could give this a higher score. Something of note in this film is thiers almost no music in this film and the only voice we here is that of the Narators who only comees in to read a few lines per scene which is really odd, and one can't help but wonder why this deciscion was made. Oh and maybe I'm wierd but I thought the line "secretly, Jay one day hopes to be an undercover cop" was kind of funny in a nerdy sort of way.

I've viewed this film repeatedly, and even with ten years of college under my belt, I have no idea what the point of this film is. Jay can play a piano out of synch, bake cookies on an instantly cooling cookie sheet and set fires. Jay cannot build a hi-fi, keep his dog in the yard, or feed birds. Somehow the closing scene says it all: Fee-Fee (a big fat poodle) eating garbage in the back yard. This delightfully incomprehensible film is sure to resuscitate any "Mary Richards" party.

A nice film with nice Gumby style background music about nice young pre-teen Jay, his nice family, nice parents, nice friend Carl, nice policeman, and nice neighbor. It's nice that he can bake cookies and play the piano. And oh so nice that his brothers treat him so nicely. Too bad they didn't buy him a nice Beatles t-shirt. Looks like he must have grabbed a Sharpie and made his own. You rock Jay. A DIY shirt in a 1960's film raises my rating by at least a star, although it's hard to imagine what the original purpose of this film was.

What can Jay do?
Light a fire.
Change clothes instantly when he goes to bake cookies. (But he should have kept the DIY t-shirt on.)
Bake cookies.
Play the piano.
Dye Easter Eggs.

That's nice. But what's the point? Is it that Jay secretly likes the helmeted policeman and wants to grow up to be one of the Village People?

Here's why:
1) He paints easter eggs Lavender and Pink
2) He has a poodle named Fifi
3) He bakes for his brothers enjoyment
4) He and a friend build a treehouse so they can share 'secrets'
5) He is highly gifted in playing the piano.
6) He tromples around the garden on easter looking for eggs with an easter basket.
Yes, I'm sorry folks, there is just no cure for Jay. Even though he lights the overly large fireplace (Are you cold Jay? It looks to be summer out) and tries to pound nails in straight (but they come out crooked, if that's not a hint, I'm not too sure what is), Jay is doomed! doomed! doomed! Highly reccomended!